Spain wins third credit upgrade as economy brightens

Madrid (AFP) - Standard and Poor's boosted Spain's credit rating on Friday, hailing signs of economic recovery despite massive unemployment in the eurozone's fourth-biggest economy.

Euro zone first-quarter growth disappoints, puts pressure on ECB to act

(Reuters) - The euro zone economy grew much less than expected at the start of the year and inflation remained locked in the 'danger zone' below 1 percent, increasing pressure on the European Central Bank to ease monetary policy at its next meeting in June.

Euro zone crisis propels German immigration to 20-year high

BERLIN (Reuters) - Net immigration to Germany leapt by over 18 percent to a 20-year high in 2013, fuelled largely by migrants from euro zone debt-crisis states Italy and Spain as well as a continued influx of Poles, data from the Statistics Office showed on Thursday.

GLOBAL ECONOMY-Euro zone business stays strong, China mending

LONDON/BEIJING, May 22 (Reuters) - Private business activity in the euro zone grew at just under its fastest pace in three years this month, while contraction in China's vast manufacturing sector slowed to its weakest pace this year, surveys showed on Thursday.

Interest rate hikes would hit British car industry: UK Hyundai CEO

(Reuters) - A series of even small rises in British interest rates would be a big blow to the country's car industry, the CEO of Hyundai UK (005380.KS) told Reuters on Thursday.